Building Blocks, Effective in Developing Spatial Knowledge

Many mothers are meticulous with the kind of toy that their children will be playing. Mothers tend to consult various literary materials which say something about best learning toys for children. According to some specialists, playing is the language of the child, it is their method of learning new things and they should be allowed to explore on these toys. Interactive playing with various toys has been thought to improve the learning capabilities of a child. Furthermore, interactive playing with blocks can enhance the development of language about space, according to a study.

Toys are considered very crucial to the development of child. Since it is their way of learning, it is important that children are provided with toys in which they can learn new things about shapes, color, function, and texture. One of the most common toys that are given to the children is blocks. These blocks can be of different packaging, but their use is just the same – for construction and building. Furthermore, other important skills can be learned through the use of these blocks such as counting, arranging, and organizing.

A recent study which was published in Mind, Brain and Education and forerun by researchers at the Temple’s Infant Lab tackled about the significant advantage that children can have through playing with the blocks interactively. The findings of the study were achieved by closely observing both the children and their parents in of these 3 situations. These situations include when the child and the parent are in free play, where in the children were allowed to play with the blocks just like how they played it at home; when the child is in a preassembled play, where the blocks given to the child were already arranged into a preformed shape; and when the child is in guided play, where the children were given instructions on how to create a specific structure using the blocks.

The findings of the study reveal that those parents under the guided play condition were able to have notably higher extent of language about space as compared to the other two playing conditions. In addition, those children who were under the guided play condition also produced more spatial talk.

Moreover, according to Nora Newcombe, co-director of Temple’s Infant Lab, she said in conclusion: “This study gives parents news they can use. It shows that, rather than leaving kids alone with a preassembled activity, interactive play that draws out conversation is best at facilitating spatial development.” Spatial concepts are very important for the children to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

In the World Health Organization Early Childhood Development dedicated page, it is said that “the more stimulating the early environment, the more a child develops and learns. Language and cognitive development are especially important during the first six months to three years of life. High levels of adversity and stress during early childhood can increase the risk of stress-related disease and learning problems well into the adult years.”